The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin (Compass) Paperback – July 1, 1993

I just read this book in small chunks while riding the bus to work - a great way to get the mind moving in the morning, maybe for reasons similar to the attraction of doing crossword puzzles at the breakfast table. Some of these short tales were immediately hilarious, but a fair number seemed strangely bland and pointless. In almost all cases where I drew a blank, a day or two later, on re-reading them I got the point - or at least "a point" - usually a genuinely insightful one well worth coming back for. Maybe two or three will have to wait for another time. This little book is some of the most satisfying personal reading I've done in recent memory. I dearly wish, however, that the publisher had figured out a way to reproduce the drawings with better resolution. They're wonderfully whimsical and surprising.

Pleasantries is my favorite book of the Nasrudin corpus published by Idries Shah. These humorous tales really stay with you. It's so interesting how a story will just pop into my mind in relation to an event in my life, and I will say that was just like that Nasrudin story! When that happens, a wealth of information seems to unlock about the event and I simultaneously see the deeper meanings of the story. These tales are not only works of art for entertainment, they are designed to enlighten and edify as well. A joy to read!

All of Idries Shah's books are worth reading as he is a great storyteller with a wealth of teaching-stories from the middle east . His books are thoughtful, well-written, and entertaining. The Mulla is my favorite of all---i always come away with a smile, a laugh, and a thoughtful nod. Here's an example: The mulla has been invited to a banquet given by the King. He goes wearing a fancy coloured robe. He sits down and immediately begins rubbing food into the robe. The king asks him why he is doing this. He replies "The robe got me in here, so it is only right that It should have a share!" If The Mulla was in charge of the Middle East there would be Peace.

Great and funny anecdotes from a wise fool!Lovers of malaprops and puns will like it.A lot of verbal gymnastics with Nasrudin! 👍👌❤️

I donno if it has to do with the translation or this book itself.Only few of the jokes made me laugh, most of the jokes either made no sense (even after I read it multiple times) and some were just not funny, may be they are funny in the actual language but in English it made no sense.While a lot of work must have gone into translating this classic, I wasn't that pleased by the jokes.Actually there are far better Mulla's jokes on the internet.

I have an older version of this book, bought around 2000, that has lots of cute cartoons with the stories. This edition has all the words, but not the cartoons. Nasrudin is a comic figure, and this edition takes away some of the fun. Still, it's worthwhile to get the tales.

"The moon is more useful than the sun.""Why, Mulla?""We need the light more during the night than during the day."

Book arrived promptly and in perfect condition.

A great book with humour and subtle learning.Sort of the short anecdotes won’t be understood by one person but will by another.A great resource that many people will inadvertently benefit from.

Nasrudin went to a shop of a man who stocked all kinds of bit and pieces.“Have you got nails?” he asked.“Yes.”“And leather, good leather?”“Yes.”“And dye?”“Yes.”“Then why, for Heaven’s sake, don’t you make a pair of boots?”Occasionally I manage to take Nasrudin’s advice and make myself something useful from the jokes collected by Idries Shah in his Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin.Here’s an example, entitled “Fixed Ideas”.‘How old are you, Mulla?’‘Forty.’‘But you said the same last time I asked you, two years ago!’‘Yes, I always stand by what I have said.’This joke helped me take a second look at a highly principled politician with whom I agreed. But he prided himself on his “good ideas” and stood by them for decades. “How would he respond if changing circumstances necessitated a fresh approach?” I wondered. It was worrisome.Here’s another, entitled ‘The Burglar’A thief went into Nasrudin's house and carried away almost all the possessions of the Mulla to his own home. Nasrudin had been watching from the street. After a few minutes Nasrudin took up a blanket, followed him, went into his house, lay down, and pretended to go to sleep. 'Who are you, and what are you doing here?' asked the thief. 'Well,' said the Mulla, 'we were moving house, were we not'?Shah’s intriguing little book provokes laughter & fresh insights into our selves and our world. Mulla Nasrudin’s antics parallel the workings of the mind. The tales of this ancient wise fool from the East are bottomless and bracing. I’ve reread this book and others in the Nasrudin corpus many times, and always discover something new. Over time I’ve “stolen” all kinds of “bits and pieces” to make something useful. But I've gotten much more than I bargained for. Nasrudin and his ways of seeing are now very present in my life. I think he’s moved in!

By familarising yourself with Mulla Nasrudin stories and jokes, your mind learns to work in a subtly different way and helps you to approach true wisdom.

Not very happy with this edition published by Penguin Compass but I guess you get what you pay for... The print is too small, the paper is what it is and the image/print on the cover is not even centered - even if this shows in the preview of the product on Amazon one thinks it's an error! Next time will definitely choose with more attention and pay more.The book in itself is great. A collection of teaching stories that will make you ponder them.

i got this book before due date.